From Christmas Past, a Colonial Holiday Feast : Traditions: There’s nothing ambiguous about this 18th-Century-style buffet for entertaining.

Add old-time elegance to your Christmas entertaining this year with an 18th-Century-style ambigue. Impressive, yet easy to assemble, this is one of the secrets of Colonial entertaining that transformed early American Christmas tables into a virtual wonderland of things to eat.

The term ambigue (pronounced AM-bee-gew) is itself a quaint colonial way of saying the French service a l’ambigue, which means things served in an ambiguous style with no particular order of courses--in short, a buffet. But this buffet was certainly no hodgepodge.

Before the 1850s, when the Christmas tree began to appear more and more frequently in American homes, the center of attention was not the exchange of gifts or cards, a tree or festive evergreen decorations. The emphasis was on food. For most Protestant denominations, Christmas was strictly a religious holiday and the spiritual aspects took precedence. But after church, homes were thrown open to lavish entertaining for family, friends and members of the community at large.

This was particularly the case during the period between Second Christmas (Dec. 26) and Twelfth Night (Jan. 6). In that slower-paced age before instant communication by computer or telephone, people went visiting, not to watch football games on a neighbor’s television, but to see friends and relatives personally, face to face, and to touch base with the truly human things that counted. This sharing of experience and caring for one another was all brought together with food, and here is where the ambigue proved so useful.

In its most formal appearance, an ambigue was laid out generally on a large round or oval table set in the middle of the room. That way, people could get at it from all sides, and if there was a sparkling chandelier overhead, candlelight would be thrown down like warm moonbeams on the grand display of food. All the dishes were arranged geometrically in sets of two, four or six. If a large platter of cake stood on one end of the table, it would be balanced on the other end with a matching platter holding, perhaps, an ample bowl of Yuletide punch.

Many dishes were arranged in tiers or on varying levels. Glass stands were stacked with frosted fruit, evergreens and dried flowers. Statuary made of paste sugar or simple cookie figures were positioned in strategic locations within easy reach of the children. And all around the table were plates of the most delectable things to eat, such as gingerbreads, macaroons, marzipan “fruits” and hard candies called clear toys that were cast in multitudes of entertaining shapes and colors.

Of course, empty spaces were left here and there in the arrangement because when guests came calling, they were expected to bring a “house gift,” something to add to the buffet. It could be anything from a steaming quail pie or a luscious new sausage ready for slicing to a small plum pudding, a basket of Chocolate Apees or even a Gateau de Pommes--if the plan was to stun the host with a culinary tour de force.

The beauty of Gateau de Pommes is that it is inexpensive and as easy to make as gelatin, and if you can give it an elaborate shape with a mold, everyone will think you studied cookery in Paris. It was quite popular with 19th-Century cooks for all of these reasons. Best of all, it makes a stellar table piece when set near candles, and guests will need no nudging to get their spoons working on the masterpiece.

Of course, you do not need fancy glass or china to make an ambigue successful. You can arrange it with whatever sorts of plates and trays you have on hand. You can even use clean flower pots to prop up stray serving dishes.

Just make as many of the recipes yourself as you feel comfortable doing; put the rest together with things from the market. The important point is that you carry through on a theme and make the table appear as inviting as possible. Don’t worry about the rest. Your effort will show, and your family and friends will remember with fondness the special gift you created yourself this Christmas.

This is the 1860 recipe of Mary Hamilton Winebrenner, wife of the Rev. John Winebrenner, founder of the Church of God.

GATEAU DE POMMES

2 pounds peeled and cored apples, peels and cores reserved

3 cups water or red currant juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 cups sugar

Grated zest of 2 lemons

4 envelopes unflavored gelatin

4 drops oil of cinnamon

Candied citron strips

Slivered blanched almonds

Place apple peels and cores in pan along with water. (Water will produce green gateau, red currant juice will produce red gateau.) Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Strain and reserve 2 1/2 cups liquid.

Chop peeled apples into small pieces and puree in food processor along with lemon juice until texture resembles applesauce. Transfer puree to pan and mix in sugar and lemon zest.

Soften gelatin with 1/2 cup reserved apple liquid. Add remaining liquid to puree. Cook, covered, 15 minutes. Add softened gelatin and boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and add oil of cinnamon. Pour hot apple mixture into 2-quart china mold or into several small molds. When cool, cover and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to serve, dip mold in warm water and invert onto serving dish. Decorate gateau with strips of candied citron. Stick slivered almonds into gateau like spines. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Note: If oil of cinnamon isn’t available, place 2 cinnamon sticks in pan when simmering peels and cores. Discard when peels are cooked.

YULETIDE PUNCH

4 pounds sugar

2 quarts water

2 pints pineapple juice

1 1/2 cups lemon juice

2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 cup orange juice

2 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest

2 cups white grape juice or dry white wine or light rum

Combine sugar and water in pan and boil 10 minutes. Add pineapple juice and set aside to cool.

Add lemon juice and zest, orange juice and zest and grape juice. Transfer mixture to ice cream freezer and process according to manufacturer’s directions, or place in clean metal container, cover and freeze. When frozen, beat with whisk (or feed small batches into food processor) to smooth texture and pour into punch bowl. Serve immediately. Makes 1 gallon or 15 to 20 servings.

This recipe comes from the cooking school of Hannah Hungary Widdifield (1768-1854), a Philadelphia confectioner.

NEW ORLEANS

GINGERBREAD

1/2 pound unsalted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

Grated zest of 1 orange

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon baking soda

2 cups fine white cornmeal less 2 1/2 tablespoons

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups molasses

1/4 cup milk

Cream together butter, brown sugar and orange zest until light. Sift together flour, ginger, cinnamon and baking soda twice, then stir in cornmeal.

Beat eggs in separate bowl until thick and frothy. Stir in molasses and milk. Add egg mixture to butter mixture, then gradually sift in dry ingredients. (Sift and fold in dry ingredients gently so that batter is kept light.)

Grease 14x8 1/2-inch loaf or 14-inch round baking pan and line bottom with greased baking parchment. (Or use 2 (12-cup) muffin pans, allowing 20 to 25 minutes baking time.) Spread batter evenly over bottom and smooth surface with knife. Bake at 350 degrees 35 to 40 minutes. Serve hot or cold. Makes 8 to 12 servings.

Note: Do not forget to remove 2 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal from 2 cups. This will compensate for difference between old-style cornmeal and commercial cornmeal of today.

PEANUT MACAROONS

1 1/4 pounds blanched, unsalted peanuts

6 tablespoons flour

5 egg whites

2 cups superfine sugar

Process peanuts in food processor until they resemble coarse meal. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Beat egg whites in separate bowl until very stiff, then fold in superfine sugar. Mix together peanut and egg mixtures.

Drop batter in mounds of about 2 teaspoons each on ungreased parchment-covered baking sheets. Bake at 250 degrees 40 to 45 minutes, or until light brown. Remove macaroons with spatula and cool on racks. Store in airtight containers. Makes about 6 dozen.

This is a rare recipe that even tastes like Christmas.

CHOCOLATE APEES

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream together butter and sugar until light in bowl. Add cocoa, water and salt and beat well. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Sift together flour and baking soda twice, then gradually sift into batter, mixing well.

Roll out dough 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick between sheets of wax paper and cut into 2-inch rounds. Place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes. Cool on racks. Makes about 5 dozen.

Note: Dough also can be cut into figures like gingerbread cookies.